This month, The Green Moms Carnival takes on the myth that going green means spending tons of money. I’m so excited to host this, my first Green Mom’s Carnival because the topic is close to my heart.
Unlike the message we constantly see in the popular green media, my fellow Green Moms demonstrate that you don’t have to spend exorbitant amounts of cash to green your life. Well, unless you want to, I suppose. Quite honestly, most of my favorite green living tips are the ones that save money as well as the world we live in. Yes, Virginia, you can have both.
Enough of my prattling, on with the Carnival!
Kid Stuff
Most articles mention how expensive children are with all of their required gear. Amber at strocel.com talks about how going green with her children actually saves her money in My Kids, The Planet and My Wallet.
Travel
Bicycle commuting a popular green way to get around town. Jennifer of Puddle Jumping in DC offers some suggestions on how to commute by bike in sun, rain, and snow in her post Saving Money through Green Means: Enjoy the Ride.
Saving Energy
Before I significantly reduced my home’s energy use,I first had tofind out how much energy my home was currently using. Find out how to do your own home energy audit in Condo Blues post How to Conduct Your Own Home Energy Audit. This process is excellent for renters too.Best of all my way is free. I like free. Free is good.
Linda of Citizen Green describes some the methods she uses to reduce her energy usage which also saves her money in Being Green Saves Money.
Lisa S of Retro Housewife Goes Green gives some great tips on how to save energy in Lowering Your Bills by Going Green.I particularly like her suggestion of using power strips that you might already have to save on your electric bill.
General Tips
Lynnof OrganicManiashares 10 posts that cover over20 tips for saving money in My Top 20 Tips Saving Money through Green Means. I love how she sums up her post for this month’s Carnival “There was a time when I thought going green meant expensive, frou-frou organic and eco-chic “stuff.” Sure, that can be part of the picture, but for most people, going green actually saves money.”
Diane of Big Green Purse reminds us when we shift the way we spend our money in annvironmentally friendly manner that itoftensaves usmoney too. She offers some suggestions on how to that inShift Your Spending to Protect the Environment.
Alline of Ecovillage Musingsasks “Why are you buying what you are buying? Do you really need to spend money to be green?” She demonstrates that living sustainable lifestyle is a great way to save money and time (who doesn’t want to save a little time now and again?) in Saving Money by Being Green.
Anna of Green Talk believes that green living makes cents. “Before you pooh-pooh me, realize being green does not mean you have to live in an extravagant green home as you might see on television, have the newest green tech toys, or follow Hollywood’s latest trend. I am talking real dollar to dollar savings based on good, honest thriftiness and back to nature living of our grandparents” in Green Makes Cents.
I can really relate to Michelle of The Green Phone Booth when she tries to explain to someone at her child's preschool, "We're not poor, we live this way on purpose!" in Saving Money though Green Means. I'm so going to use that line the next time one of husband's family looks down their nose at us and calls my cloth napkin use (or some such thing) "ahem, frugal."
Buying Food
Many people, including myself, lament that organic food is expensive. Katy of Non-Toxic Kids, reminds us “While it may be organic, it isn’t necessarily healthy. Just as with conventional foods, chips, candy, chocolate, fruit bars, fruit wraps, and cookies are OK on occasion, but can really rack up the grocery bill and your sugar or fat intake.” She has some great ideas about Eating Naturally While Spending Less. Thanks to her tips, my family might not have to give up pricey cereal anymore!
Green Cleaning
Beth of Fake Plastic Fish makes an excellent point when she says, “I hear people bemoaning the high cost of “going green.” And while organic food does cost more than its chemical-laden counterpart, I’m here to tell you that it’s easier to spend more for healthy food when you save money in other ways.”Beth teaches us that baking soda is a multipurpose money saver in Baking Soda so Many Uses so Little Money and Plastic.
Karen Hanrahan ofBest of Mother Earth gives us a informative cost comparison of conventional and green cleaners in Saving Money with Green Means.
This concludes the November Green Moms Carnival on Saving Money through Green Means. Please join us for next month’s Carnival hosted by The Green Phone Booth on December 7th where our topic will be Greener Traditions.Did you enjoy this post? Get more like it by subscribing to the Condo Blues RSS Feed or to Condo Blues by Email.
